Playing card dealing shoe activation device

ABSTRACT

A system including a deck of playing cards. A randomly generated number is printed on each playing card in the deck. An activation device is also provided, which contains a data file of each randomly generated number of the playing cards in the deck, and the order of each playing card in the deck. A playing card dealing shoe is also provided. The shoe includes a sensor for detecting the randomly generated number on a playing card as the playing card is drawn from the shoe. The shoe is associated with a processor, which is in communication with the sensor and the activation device to receive information therefrom. The processor determines whether a playing card drawn from the shoe is expected based on the information from the sensor and the activation device, and disables the shoe when the drawn playing card is not the expected playing card.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/090,927, filed Oct. 3, 2018, which itself is a U.S. National PhaseApplication of International Application No. PCT/US17/26098 filed onApr. 5, 2017, which application claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/318,881, filed Apr. 6, 2016, all of which aretitled PLAYING CARD DEALING SHOE ACTIVATION CARD. The disclosures ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/090,927, International ApplicationNo. PCT/US17/26098, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/318,881 are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to playing card dealing shoes for use incasinos, and more particularly to an activation device for use in theplaying card dealing shoe.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Security of playing cards is a major concern for casino properties. Fromleaving the factory to destruction, there are various methods and scamsused to gain information on or tamper with cards to defraud casinos,causing massive financial losses. Damage to the brands of both thecasino and the playing card manufacturer also occurs when these lossesoccur.

Players use any perceived instance of breach of game integrity torequest money from a casino. Gaming regulatory agencies may alsoinstitute penalties against a casino for a breach of game integrity.

Playing card manufacturers use various coding, packaging, storage andtracking means to ensure integrity throughout the manufacturing process.Examples include using random number generators to randomly shufflecards together so the casino doesn't have to.

Casinos use various procedures to try and ensure the security andintegrity of the playing cards using a combination of human beings,machinery and procedures. Every interaction with human beings actuallycreates an additional point of risk in the case of unscrupulousindividuals; and a point susceptible to human error or oversight.Procedures rely on human intervention and control, so provide limitedsecurity. Machinery, such as automated deck checkers and shufflers arealso susceptible to failure and introduce human intervention.

This invention eliminates the security risks that occur throughout theplaying card value chain. One example is the ability for cards to bereplaced and/or reordered in the pack without the casino's knowledge.The invention also prevents a card from being used more than once orfrom being transferred from one pack or table and used on another. Theinvention also eliminates the need for expensive and labor intensivemanagement of cards before and after game play and the need for physicaldestruction of them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

By using known methods of printing individual playing cards, applyingunique individual identifiers, storing, encrypting and reading datatogether in a unique way with electronic table gaming devices such asdealing shoes and automatic shufflers, security can be ensured. Theconcepts disclosed herein can be applied to deck sizes containing anynumber of cards, including but not limited to deck sizes of 52, 104,208, and up to 520 or more.

Individual cards receive a unique mark or code referred to as a serialcode, allowing each to be tracked thru multiple systems both inmanufacturing and game play. The unique individual identifiers could benumbers, letters, bar codes, QR codes, 2D or 3D codes or any other marksto make each card unique. The individual identifiers can be stand aloneor can be combined with other information that is desired such as cardrank and suit, casino property, card color or design, production detailsetc.

The individual identifiers on each card are read as the cards areassembled into the decks. The various identifiers are captured to a datasource and encrypted into a deck identification number, code or mark,and associated file. The encryption can be done via a private key(Kpriv). There are multiple methods or algorithms for encryption,including but not limited to AES256 and SHA256. The deck identificationfile or data is then associated with the physical deck of cards using asmart card, RFID chip, SD card, or any other electronic data storagedevice or file. For example, a dual-interface card, a contactless card,a CR-80 8-pin card, a SIM/SAM card, or a keychain card may be used. Thisis referred to as the activation device. The activation device will bediscussed herein in the context of a data card, although it should berecognized that other forms of activation devices could be used.

The data card travels with the deck of cards. It could be inside thedeck in the form of a cut card or special card, or in or on the pack inany manner. Once at the casino, the data card is queried by a centralserver, or a device at the point where integrity of the cards needs tobe verified. Such points could include an inventory management scanner,dealing shoe, shuffler, storage device or other piece of equipment.

When encrypted, the data card file is queried using a Device Key (Kdev).The device key works to read the data and determine if a match to theexpected information exists. As cards are examined or read by a devicesuch as a playing card dealing shoe, there is a check for the individualidentifiers and the data card is queried to validate a match. If a matchis not found, the device would stop, lock, alarm, send a signal or alertor the like to indicate a mismatch. Thus, as each card is pulled, thesystem verifies the information on the playing card to a matching serialnumber from the data card before the value of the card is considered oridentified by the device.

For additional security the data card can be set to read each individualserial code only once to ensure the cards can only be used once.However, if cards are to be reused, the card deactivation features canbe adjusted accordingly. For yet another level of security, the datacard can contain the exact sequence of the deck.

A casino may destroy the data card or the device may erase the datacard, making the reading of the associated playing cards by the deviceimpossible.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various embodiments of the presentinvention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a playing card dealing shoe and deck ofcards, with an example data card in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an example playing card showing one or more exampleposition(s) for a data track thereon in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 3 . is a chart showing an example set of data for inclusion on adata card in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a flow diagram of an example method for encrypting data to besaved to a data card in an example embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a flow diagram of an example method for decrypting data readfrom a data card in an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example method for creating and usingplaying cards and a data card in an example embodiment.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intentionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by theappended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawingfigures, in which like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristicsof the present invention, proportional relationships of the elementshave not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a playing card dealingsystem 100. This system 100 includes a playing card handling device 105that contains a deck of playing cards 110. The playing card handlingdevice 105 may be a dealing shoe in an example embodiment. For ease ofreference, playing card handling device 105 will be referred tohereinafter as a shoe 105. In addition to illustrating the deck 110 inthe shoe 105, FIG. 1 also illustrates the deck 110 exploded from theshoe 105. Deck 110 may be a standard fifty-two card deck. However, asshown, deck 110 is a superdeck comprised of eight standard decks for atotal of 416 cards. Other deck sizes are also envisioned as per casinopreferences.

As can best be seen in the exploded deck 110, the deck 110 may contain adata card 115. The data card 115 is preferably an electronic memorystorage device, which is generated and used for a specific deck 110, aswill be further discussed below. The data card 115 itself could becreated from various technologies, including smart card technologies orthe like. For example, a smart card with RFID technology would allow thedata card 115 to be written or read without physical electricalconnections. FIG. 1 , for example, illustrates an embodiment in whichthe data card includes RFID technology. The data card 115 merely needsto be in proximity to a reader antenna on the shoe 105 for the shoe 105to read the data card 115. Therefore, the data card 115 can be used as acut card or the like. However, the data card 115 need not be associatedwith actual gameplay.

Wireless read/write functionality is optional. When the data card 115 iswritten, the card could be put into a fixture that provides electricalconnectivity. Similarly, in the casino, the data card 115 could bephysically inserted into a shoe 105 or another electronic deviceassociated with the shoe 105, providing electrical connectivity (notshown in FIG. 1 ). Thus, any type of digital memory device or card couldbe used, as desired. Alternatively, the contents of the digital memorydevice could be communicated to the casino electronically, such as viathe Internet. In such an embodiment, a physical data card may beavoided.

RFID technology has some advantages, though. The antenna-based couplingof RFID technology is more tolerant of mechanical misalignment thanelectrical contacts. For example, the data card 115 could be insertedinto the shoe 105 in any possible orientation and still be successfullyread. Another potential advantage is that an RFID-based data card 115could be read (or written to) while the data card 115 remains within afactory-sealed box. This could allow for a casino process in which adeck 110 that still has a factory seal intact is loaded into a shoe 105.

There are various types of RFID technologies on the market, each ofwhich have specific advantages and disadvantages as would be recognizedin the art. For example, some technologies allow data rates of 106 Kbps.Given data size estimate of less than 4 KB, writing time would be shortrelative to an example 18 second manufacturing cycle time. Additionally,certain RFID technologies are fairly short in range. Although longerrange RFID may have some benefits, shorter range RFID technologies arepreferred to help prevent the shoe 105 of an adjacent table fromaccidentally reading a different table's data card 115. In order to helpprevent shoe-to-shoe cross reading, the spacing between the data card115 and the reader antenna of a shoe 105 should be low. In an exampleembodiment, the spacing between two shoes 105 (“D”) is between about 10and 100 times greater than the distance between the data card 115 andthe reader antenna of the shoe 105 (“d”), such that D>>>d.

The deck 110 itself will now be discussed in additional detail inconnection with FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 illustrates a playing card 200. As withany standard playing card, playing card 200 includes an indicator ofrank 205 and suit 210, along with a design 215 on the face of the card200. However, playing card 200 also includes at least one data track220. Multiple data tracks 220 may be used for redundancy. A data track220 may include encoded information that is machine readable andidentifiable.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,657,287 and related family (the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference) disclose techniques for encoding rankand suit on a playing card, and then reading the encoded informationfrom the playing card when the card is drawn from a shoe. However, adata track 220 in accordance with the teachings hereof may includeadditional information besides rank and suit information. For example, arandom number is preferably included in a data track 220. This number,referred to herein as a serial number or “SN” is not related to theplaying card suit or value. Preferably, a new random SN is generated forevery playing card 200 upon creation.

A SN may, in an example embodiment, be a 32-bit number. The SN on eachplaying card preferably supports at least 1 billion unique values. Aserial number of at least 30 bits is therefore preferred (for at least 1billion values), but 32 bits is generally easier to implement in adigital memory system. Including the rank and suit generally entails anadditional six bits (to account for 52 possibilities). Additional bitsmay also be included for error detection and/or correction, as well aslead-in or preamble bits.

The data track 220 may be one-dimensional (akin to a barcode),two-dimensional (as in U.S. Pat. No. 8,657,287 and related family),three-dimensional codes, or the like. A one-dimensional self-clockingdata track 220 may also be used, such as via a Manchester encodingscheme, differential Manchester encoding, or Biphase Mark Code. Such adata track 220 could be printed on the top and/or bottom of a playingcard 200 as shown in FIG. 2 . One dimensional data tracks 220 arepreferred because they allow for the use of a much simpler camera orsensor to detect the bits as they move past. In FIG. 2 , the size of thedata track 220 is exaggerated to better show the concept. The datatracks 220 may be much smaller so that the draw speed of the card isfairly constant over the length of the data read. When the data tracks220 are small compared with the width of the card, the speed remainsrelatively consistent as the card is pulled.

A number of techniques for error detection and data correction could beused, as are known in the art. For example, CRC (cyclic redundancycheck/correction) techniques calculated over the entire data track 220could be used. Similarly, error correction codes exist that allow bothdetection and correction of one of more bit errors.

Preferably, the data track 220 is applied on the playing card 200. Suchapplication may occur by printing with an ink, or laser etching, or thelike. For example, a low visibility ink may be used, such as by usingyellow (on a white background), infrared, or ultraviolet ink. Similarly,the data track 220 is preferably printed so as to be small while stillachieving reliable detection. The height of a data track 220 ispreferably tall enough to compensate for any misalignment and/or slop.Small data tracks 220 also help to preserve the visual aesthetic ofplaying card 200. Further, making the data track 220 hard to see ordiscern with the naked eye helps to obfuscate the encoded rank and suitof the card in the data track 220, if present.

FIG. 3 illustrates example data content 300 of a data card 115. As eachcard 200 in the deck is assigned with a random SN, the data card 115 isloaded with the SN information of each card 200 in its associated deck110 at the time of factory shuffling. Data card 115 therefore contains alist of the SNs of each card 200 and their order in the deck 110. FIG. 3illustrates this sequence of SNs as numeral 305. In an exampleembodiment, the rank and suit information is also loaded into the datacard 115, although in a preferred embodiment the rank and suitinformation is not loaded into the data card 115. In addition, a deck ID310, a casino ID 315, a time/date code 320, and/or errordetection/correction bits may also be added into the data card 115. Inan example embodiment, the data card 115 may hold at least 1.64 KB ofdata, although 64 bit SNs would lead to a data card 115 that holds atleast 3.28 KB of data.

A digital signature may also be included as an obstacle againstcounterfeiting. Other techniques include encryption and other securitymeasures. With random SNs that are independent of the playing card facevalue, encryption of the SN data is less important because knowledge ofthe SNs would not give a player an advantage in the game. However,cryptography concepts may still be utilized in the data stored within adata card 115 and the shoe 105. For example, authentication provides theidentification of a message originator. This could be used to validatethat the data card 115 was created at a proper facility. A securityservice that can identify any alteration(s) in the message data may alsobe used. Encrypted data could also make it more difficult to hack theinterface between a data card 115 and a shoe 105.

If no cryptography is used, data integrity of the data card 115 could beverified using simple CRC data 325 appended to the end of the data inthe data card 115, as shown in FIG. 3 . However, adding a digitalsignature to the data card 115 immediately adds capability forauthentication and enhanced data integrity checks of the data card 115data. In an example embodiment, a digital signature is generated bycombining the SNs 305, deck ID 310, casino ID 315, time/date code 320,and CRC data 325 into a unique hashed message digest. This digest maythen be passed, along with a private key, into a Digital SignatureAlgorithm (DSA) to generate a unique digital signature. The private key(Kpriv) would remain with the card manufacturer.

Later, when put into use, the casino could also then take the SNs 305,deck ID 310, casino ID 315, time/date code 320, and CRC data 325 andperform a hash operation to generate a digest. The casino would then usea corresponding public key and the same DSA to verify that the digitalsignature was created at an authorized facility. If the digitalsignature is valid and/or the CRC data is validated, the casino knowsthat the data in the data card 115 is legitimate.

Encryption may also or alternatively be used to add confidentiality tothe data card 115 data. It is possible to encrypt (at the factory) anddecrypt (in the casino) the original plaintext message. In any exampleembodiment, this process could use a symmetric key to both encrypt anddecrypt the message. This encryption would make it harder for hackers togenerate their own data cards 115 because it would require knowledge ofthe symmetric key. The symmetric key (Ksym) known to the casino in theshoe would not be made available to the general public, and would needto be protected. FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate example methods 400A and400B for implementing digital signature and encryption/decryptiontechniques for the data 300 on a data card 115.

In FIG. 4A, the original plaintext message 305 (which, again, includesthe SNs 305 and any deck ID 310, casino ID 315, time/date code 320, andCRC data 325) is designated “M.” The original plaintext message 305 issent to an encryption system 405 that uses a symmetric key “K_(2sym)” toencrypt the original plaintext message 305 into an encrypted plaintextmessage “E.” The encrypted plaintext message E then becomes part of thedata 300 on data card 115. The original plaintext message 305 issimultaneously sent to a hash function 410 to create a digest 415. Hashfunction 410 may be a one-way function that takes variable length datato create a fixed length output in the form of digest 415. Changing theinput data in any way would change the output 415 of the hash function410. The digest 415 is then sent to a Digital Signature Algorithm “DSA”that uses a private key “K_(1priv)” to create digital signature “DS.”The digital signature is then added to the encrypted plaintext message Eas data 300 on the data card 115.

In FIG. 4B, the data 300 on data card 315 is decrypted to validate thecontents. The encrypted plaintext message E is sent to for decryption at425 using the symmetric key “K_(2sym)” back into original plaintextmessage 305 (“M”). The original plaintext message 305 can then be passedagain to a hash function 430 to create a digest 435. This digest 435,along with the digital certificate DS are passed to another DigitalSignature Algorithm “DSA” 440 that uses a public key “K_(1pubv)” tovalidate the digital signature DS at step 445.

In another example embodiment, digital certificates and Public KeyInfrastructure (PKI) may be used to authenticate both sides of acommunication link. PKI utilizes a network connection to a CertificateAuthority (CA), which is used during a handshake process to identify andverify the other end of a communication link. For example, the casinowould communicate to a server to validate a deck ID 310. The casinowould use PKI to create that communication connection. It will beunderstood that present and future encryption techniques are envisioned,including techniques not yet created.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process 500 for validating playing cards accordingto an example embodiment. At step 502, a sheet if playing cards 200 isprinted. At step 504, a random SNs is generated and assigned to eachcard 200, as discussed above. Each respective SN is printed on itsrespective card 200. At step 506, the SNs on the cards 200 are verified.Cards with bad SNs are rejected. At step 508, the cards 200 are cut andpunched from the sheet. At step 510, the cards 200 are shuffled andcollected into a deck 110. At this point, the cards 200 may again bechecked for bad SNs, using a sensor. The sensor may, in an exampleembodiment, be a vision system such as a high speed camera, or a barcodescanner or the like. At step 512, the SNs from all cards in the deck areread, and at step 514 the number of cards in the deck is verified.Simultaneously, at step 516, the SN numbers and any other selectedinformation are sent through a digital certificate and/or encryptionsystem (e.g., a system operating method 400A above) if such a step isdesired.

At step 518, a data card 115 is created containing the SNs and any otherdata as discussed above, either as encrypted data or otherwise asdesired. At step 520, the data card 115 is placed with the deck 110, andat step 522 it is verified that the data card 115, deck 110, and boxmatch. At step 524 the box is sealed, labeled, and shrink-wrapped withthe data card 115 inside. At step 526, after shipping to the casino, thesealed box is stored securely. At step 528, the box is opened and thedeck 110 and data card 115 are loaded into a device such as a dealingshoe 105. The shoe 105 reads the data card 115 at step 530, whicheffectively “activates” the deck 110 for play. The contents of the datacard 115 are validated and/or unencrypted at step 532 (e.g., as shownabove in method 400B). This validation step may occur within the shoe105 if onboard processing is sufficient. Alternatively or in addition,the shoe 105 may be in communication with a casino server, and thecasino server may perform any necessary processing steps. Oncevalidated, at step 534, the shoe 105 erases the data card 115 to killit. In an alternative embodiment where the data card 115 acts as the cutcard and is inserted with the deck 110 into the shoe 105, the shoe 105may detect the data card 115 at the effective end of the deck 110, andmay deactivate the deck and/or data card 115 at that time.

At step 536, as a card 200 is pulled from the shoe 105, the SN is readin addition to any rank and suit information on the card 200. At step538, the shoe 105 or casino server check the SN against the card SN andorder data read from the data card 115. At step 540, if the SN itselfcontains bad data, an alert, alarm, or other signal is activated or theshoe locks at step 542 because of an invalid card. However, if the SNcontains valid data, the process advances to step 544 at which point theshoe 105 or casino server determines whether the drawn card 200 is inthe correct order. If not, the shoe 105 again locks at step 542 becauseof an invalid sequence. If the sequence is correct, play continues atstep 546. By tracking each pulled card by SN, the cards 200 in the deck110 may be “activated” for a single use or multiple uses as desired bythe casino. The order of the playing cards 200 drawn from the shoe 105may be captured and stored electronically. A casino may use such adigital record to resolve game disputes. Alternatively, a manufacturerof the deck 110 may utilize the digital record to audit or proverandomness of the playing cards 200.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of thepresent invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives andadvantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantageswhich are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. Itwill be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of thepresent embodiments are of utility and may be employed without referenceto other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodimentsof the present invention may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that alldisclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawingsare to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The variousconstructions described above and illustrated in the drawings arepresented by way of example only and are not intended to limit theconcepts, principles and scope of the present invention.

As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of thepresent invention are not limited by the particular details of theexamples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that othermodifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur tothose skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similarterms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of“optional” or “may include” and not as “required.”

Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applicationsof the present constructions will, however, become apparent to thoseskilled in the art after considering the specification and theaccompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations andother uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit andscope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention whichis limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising the steps of: creating aplurality of decks of playing cards generating and assigning a differentrandom number to each playing card in each of said decks of playingcards, wherein each different random number for each respective playingcard contains no indication of the rank or suit of the playing card;applying the random number associated with each of said playing cards ona respective one of said playing cards; recording, to a digital memorydevice associated with the plurality of decks, each random numberassociated with each said playing card in the deck, with the order inwhich each playing card appears in the deck, to create a data filethereof; and providing the data file to a purchaser of the deck.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the random number is a 32-bit number.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein each random number is printed on itsrespective playing card in the form of a one-dimensional data track. 4.The method of claim 3 wherein each said random number is unique to allother playing cards.
 5. The method of claim 3 wherein a said onedimensional data track associated with a playing card also includes atleast one of: a deck ID, a casino ID, a time/date code, and data CRCbits.
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein each one dimensional data trackis printed using a low visibility ink and in a low visibility size. 7.The method of claim 1 wherein the digital memory device is a data card,and the data file is provided to the purchaser of the deck by physicallyproviding the data card to the purchaser.
 8. The method of claim 1wherein the digital memory device is a server, and the data file isprovided to the purchaser of the deck electronically via the Internet.9. The method of claim 1 wherein the random number associated with eachplaying card is listed in the data file in an order of the playing cardsin the deck.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein information stored in thedigital memory device is encrypted.
 11. The method of claim 1 whereinthe digital memory device includes a digital certificate.
 12. A methodcomprising the steps of: placing a deck of playing cards in a playingcard handling device, wherein each playing card in the deck is printedwith a different randomly generated number thereon; associating, withthe deck in the playing card handling device, a data file containing therandom numbers associated with each respective playing card in theplaying card handling device, along with order information of an orderin which each playing card appears in the deck; reading the randomnumber printed on a said playing card as the playing card is drawn fromthe playing card handling device; determining whether drawn playing cardis expected based on the random number read from the drawn playing cardas compared to the order information stored in the data file; allowingplay to continue normally when the drawn playing card is expected;signaling an alert when the drawn playing is not expected.
 13. Themethod of claim 12 wherein the playing card handling device is a dealingshoe.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein association of the data filewith the deck in the shoe occurs by inserting a data card containing thedata file into the shoe.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the datacard is plugged into the shoe, wherein physical contacts on the datacard engage with physical contacts in the shoe to allow for electroniccommunication therebetween.
 16. The method of claim 13 whereinassociation of the data file with the deck in the shoe occurs byinserting a data card containing the data file into an electronic deviceassociated with the shoe, wherein physical contacts on the data cardengage with physical contacts of the electronic device to allow forelectronic communication therebetween.
 17. The method of claim 14wherein the data card is placed into proximity with the shoe andcommunicates wirelessly with the shoe via an RFID device in the datacard.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the data card is used as a cutcard among the playing cards in the deck.
 19. The method of claim 12wherein the data file is received electronically from a manufacturer ofthe playing card.
 20. The method of claim 13 wherein each random numberis printed on its respective playing card in the form of aone-dimensional data track.